Sunday, April 24, 2005

The i.ct.f (the Iraq counter-terror force) is under formation now as part of the special operations brigade of the Iraqi army while Iraq will have the biggest anti-terror training field in the Middle East. Source: Al Sabah.

The commander of the brigade said that four consecutive courses are arranged in order to select the most eligible elements among the applicants for joining this highly specialized force.From 809 applicants, only 350 have passed the primary tough tests which are called (the selection) and it's planned to select only 100 men after passing through another intensified course of training and this group will be sent outside the country to receive further training for two month by trainers from the MNF about handling terror threats and fighting terror cells.

The remaining 250 who will fail to pass the last course will be joined to the commandos forces of the army. (if the ones who fail are going to be commandos, then definitely no one would like to mess with the 100 guys who would pass the tests!) The anti-terror training center will be the 1st of a kind in the Middle East as the source said where members of the i.ct.f will receive training about urban war tactics and the members of this unit will be equipped with highly advanced American weapons and equipments.10 of the best qualified men from this unit are going to chosen to train other special forces units for the Iraqi army including commandos, paratroopers and quick response units.

Here's a short briefing on the operations of the Iraqi security forces in the last 24 hours:

A number of terror nests fell in the hands of the Iraqi security forces in the last 24 hours in different spots in Iraq. Link in Arabic:The 204th battalion of the Iraqi army discovered a weapon cache in Al Khass suburb in Diyala province where 88 artillery shells (of calibers ranging between 82 and 120 mm) were found in addition to other materials used in manufacturing IEDs like wires, timers and other materials of military use.

In kahanaqeen, also in Diyala province the security forces located two other weapons caches; the 1st contained 15 pounds of TNT, 13 (82 mm) mortar rounds and a small number of 100 mm artillery shells, while in the 2nd location, 21 shells of 100 mm caliber were found and a large number of IEDs of different sizes. All the located materials were transferred and detonated under control in another place.

In Kirkuk, a police patrol disarmed an IED placed near a stadium used a camp for accommodating Kurdish refugees and In Hawijah (south of Kirkuk) 17 wanted terrorists were detained.

Meanwhile in Samawa, a terror cell that was carrying out operations in Baghdad was arrested.The leader of this group Omar Attimimi was arrested in a previous operation.The members of the group were arrested while they were trying to purchase weapons and ammunition from a specialized gang of smugglers that works in Samawa but they never reached their destination and were busted on their way to the meeting.